• Sindiswa Zibukwana, 49, has not been home to Ngcobo in the Eastern Cape since 2020. She lives in Gugulethu, Cape Town.

• A one-way taxi fare is R1,150 a person. Return tickets for her family of six cost R13,800. She does piece jobs four times a month.

Sindiswa Zibukwana, a 49-year-old domestic worker, has not been home to Ngcobo in the Eastern Cape since 2020, because she cannot afford the fare for her family.

Zibukwana lives in Gugulethu township in Cape Town and earns from piece jobs. The return fare from Cape Town to Ngcobo for her family of six is R13,800.

“It is not by choice, but because I cannot afford the R13,800 return fare for six family members, including me. A single fare for one person is R1,150,” Zibukwana said.

She last went home in 2020.

“I didn’t know that it was the last time, as increased fares forced me to stay in Cape Town. I am surviving on piece jobs as a domestic worker and cleaner, and I work four times a month,” she said.

With the money she earns, she buys food and electricity. Her fare matches the going rate. Taxi associations in the Western Cape raised the single fare from Cape Town to the Eastern Cape from R1,000 to R1,150 from Monday, 18 May, saying rising fuel costs forced them to.

Santaco Western Cape spokesperson Makhosandile Tumana said at a media briefing in Bellville on 14 May:”A single trip to the Eastern Cape has increased from R1,000 to R1,150.”

Special trips cost more. A special trip leaving on Thursday costs R1,400, and on Friday R1,350. That is R2,300 for a return trip on the standard fare for one person, or R13,800 for six.

Fares can rise again in December. Last year, the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta) raised long-distance fares by R100 from 1 December. Early in October, Santaco announced that they would not raise fares for now, but an increase is not ruled out.

Her children want to go home, but she has told them they cannot until she gets a permanent job. The family misses weddings, funerals and festive gatherings.

“Watching my kids lose touch with relatives, culture and traditions makes me sad; that’s why I started washing other people’s clothes in the township,” she said.

She hopes to save enough for December 2027.

“If I manage to save, I won’t take all of them home at once. I have three kids, a grandchild and my mother. So I will try to save for two, then for the others the following year, because I will never be able to take them all at once,” she said.

For now, the family keeps in touch by phone.

“We are only keeping in touch by calls and video calls so that we can see each other. We also plan the video calls because we don’t always have data, as it is also expensive,” she said.

She wanted to sell chips and vetkoeks but says she cannot, because of extortionists who demand money from people selling things.

“If it weren’t for the extortionists, I would start a business and save money to go home, but starting a business is not easy because of the extortionists who are demanding. They don’t care if you are selling sweets or chicken feet; they want a share,” she said.

Somila Dyalivani, a family member in the Eastern Cape, said they understand her situation.

“We understand her situation, and we can see that everything is expensive. It is not only fares but also food and electricity. We know that one day they will be able to come to the Eastern Cape, we also can’t visit them because of the same issue: money,” he said.

• The 510 soldiers suppEWort police under Operation Prosper in KwaZulu-Natal from 9 October to 30 November 2026, at an expected cost of R34,082,720.

• The Presidency says the soldiers will be on standby after violence caused by misinformation about a Constitutional Court ruling.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has deployed 510 members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in KwaZulu-Natal to support the South African Police Service (SAPS), the Presidency announced on Tuesday, 27 October.

The deployment, under Operation Prosper, runs from 9 October to 30 November 2026 and is expected to cost R34,082,720. It follows violence in the province after a campaign of misinformation about a Constitutional Court judgment on the Refugees Act.

“The members of the SANDF will assist the SAPS in maintaining law and order in KZN [KwaZulu-Natal], especially in light of recent violent actions arising from a campaign of misinformation about the Constitutional Court judgment on the Refugee Act. The members of the SANDF will be on standby to support the police for any eventuality that may occur,” said Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya.

Ramaphosa informed National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza and National Council of Provinces Chairperson Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane of his decision. He authorised the deployment under section 201(2)(a) of the Constitution, which allows the president to use the defence force alongside the police.

Scrolla reported that violence broke out in Durban and Soweto on 8 October, when police said 24 vehicles were torched, 14 in Durban and 10 in Soweto, and shops were looted.

Home Affairs withdrew its directive on asylum applications on 9 October. Police have arrested 30 suspects, 25 in KwaZulu-Natal and five in Gauteng, in connection with public violence and unlawful protests, the government said.

Government has said that the court ruling does not give undocumented foreign nationals blanket amnesty, citizenship or refugee status.

• Police recovered at Manguzi a Nissan Navara stolen in Durban North on Monday. The driver abandoned it and ran away.

• Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa said border crime is a result of undocumented immigrants, without figures. He opened a new Hluhluwe licensing centre.

Publish time: 2026-10-27 16:55

Police chased a stolen Nissan Navara from Hluhluwe to Manguzi on Monday night, and the driver abandoned it and escaped on foot. Police have not said who the driver was.

The double cab was reported stolen in Durban North that day. Officers in Hluhluwe spotted it, and the driver sped off. Police from Mbazwana joined the chase, and Manguzi police were called in as the vehicle headed towards their area.

Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa, who heads cooperative governance and traditional affairs, spoke in Hluhluwe about stolen vehicles being taken across the borders into Mozambique and eSwatini.

“This issue of border crime is a result of undocumented immigrants who enter this country illegally and get involved in heinous criminal activities. This is the issue that has also been discussed in government to solve the problem in our borders and illegal immigrants,” Hlabisa said.

He did not give figures to support the claim.

Hlabisa also said he wants municipalities to have a budget for gender-based violence, to protect women.

With Big Five Hlabisa mayor Comfort Khumalo, he opened the Hluhluwe licensing centre. Khumalo said residents used to travel to Mpumalanga for driver’s licences.

“Today we are glad that our people will no longer suffer financially by going to Mpumalanga Province or other towns that are far away just to do their driver’s licences. We also helped young people to acquire their licences to operate excavators and other big machines to fix our roads,” Khumalo said.

He also welcomed Hlabisa’s move to increase the grant given to rural municipalities. He said they struggle because, unlike urban municipalities, they do not collect enough rates.

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• The five Sandown properties are worth R35 million, and the tax authority pays R188,261.90 a month for security.

• Sale money stays in trust. SARS must bring a separate action to claim it, and Mkhize opposed the sale.

The Durban High Court has authorised a court-appointed curator to sell five properties in Sandown, Johannesburg, linked to businesswoman Shauwn “MaMkhize” Mkhize, as mounting costs and poor maintenance eat into their value.

Judge Jacqueline Henriques granted the order on Monday, 26 October, following an urgent application by the South African Revenue Service (SARS).

A valuation dated 13 October 2025 put the properties’ combined market value at about R35 million and their estimated forced-sale value at R24.5 million.

The court heard that SARS was paying R188,261.90 a month for private security and R97,922.30 every six months for insurance. Unpaid municipal charges on four of the properties stood at R1.79 million as at 3 October 2025.

A valuer reported damp damage and poor maintenance. The City of Johannesburg issued a contravention notice over building work carried out without approved plans at 56 Adrianne Street, which comprises four of the properties.

The properties have been under a preservation order since 21 November 2024.

None of the five properties is registered in Mkhize’s name. Four are registered to Yaron Peretz and the fifth to 22 Aston Investments (Pty) Ltd. SARS argues that Mkhize is the ultimate beneficial owner of all five.

Mkhize and her son, Andile Mpisane, opposed the sale. Their lawyers argued, among other things, that the properties were their primary residence.

Henriques found that Mkhize had other properties she could occupy and that Mpisane’s court papers listed his address as a property in La Lucia.

“Paying tax is not a punishment, it is a responsibility,” Henriques wrote in her judgment.

The court gave SARS one month from the date of the order to bring a separate action to establish its right to use the properties or their sale proceeds to settle outstanding tax debts.

The proceeds must be paid into an interest-bearing trust account managed by the curator.

The curator may pay Peretz any outstanding balance from the original purchase only if the amount is agreed by the parties or confirmed by a court order. The remaining money must stay in trust until the separate action is decided.

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• Paraffin carries no fuel levy, so Treasury’s cut of R1.50 on petrol and R3 on diesel from 4 November does not apply.

• Early data points to a wholesale paraffin increase of about R2.25 to R2.88 a litre in November. The maximum shop price is now R31.82.

The government’s fuel levy cut from 4 November will not touch paraffin, the fuel many poor households use to cook and heat their homes.

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced in his mini-budget on Wednesday, 21 October, that the fuel levy will fall by R1.50 a litre on petrol and R3 a litre on diesel from 4 November to 1 December 2026. It will then fall by R1 on petrol and R1.50 on diesel until 5 January 2027.

Paraffin carries no fuel levy, according to the Central Energy Fund’s price structure, so there is no levy to cut.

Another increase for paraffin is still expected in November. Early data from the Central Energy Fund shows that on 26 October, paraffin was selling R2.74 a litre below its cost. The fund’s average since 2 October is R2.88, but that figure counts days before October’s new price took effect. Measured against October’s price, Scrolla calculates the gap at about R2.25. So the early wholesale increase is somewhere between about R2.25 and R2.88 a litre.

What that could mean in the shop: on past patterns, the maximum retail price of paraffin moves by about a third more than the wholesale price. A wholesale rise of R2.25 to R2.88 would add roughly R3 to R3.85 to the maximum shop price, which is now R31.82. That would put it at about R34.80 to R35.70. That is Scrolla’s calculation from early data. The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources announces the official change before 4 November.

Scrolla has reported that the maximum retail price of paraffin was R15.98 in January, R37.10 at its peak in May and R31.82 now. Statistics South Africa’s 2023 General Household Survey found that 2.5% of households used paraffin as their main fuel for cooking.

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) said in its 6 October statement on October’s fuel increases:

“Poor households cannot simply switch to electricity, gas or solar power.”

A litre of petrol or diesel will carry less tax from 4 November. Whether pump prices fall depends on the monthly price change that takes effect on the same day. A litre of paraffin will carry no relief. Reports of the mini-budget announcement that we reviewed do not mention paraffin.

• Men from Nkowankowa Township in Tzaneen joined the 2026 Hollard Daredevil Run, running in purple speedos to raise cancer awareness.

• The Prostate Cancer Foundation says one in four Black men will get prostate cancer, against one in eight white men.

A group of men from Nkowankowa Township in Tzaneen ran in purple speedos in the 2026 Hollard Daredevil Run, to raise awareness of prostate and testicular cancer.

Rugby player Vonani Mongwe was one of them. He ran in honour of his father, who died of cancer. The run, held on 23 October, asks men across the country to run in purple speedos.

Mongwe says he wants to support people who have cancer, and encourage those affected to speak up because help is available.

“I want to tell someone out there that cancer is not the end of the world, there is still hope. This is why it is important to do regular check ups, so we can prevent it or detect it early before it spreads,” he said.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation of South Africa (PCF) says one in four Black men and one in eight white men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. Black African men have a 60% higher risk of developing it, and are 2.5 times more likely to die from it.

When it is caught early, five year survival is above 98%. Once it has spread, that drops to 30%. A 2023 study of men in Limpopo found nearly two thirds did not know enough about the disease, and more than 80% knew nothing about screening.

PCF chief executive Andrew Oberholzer says the Daredevil Run donation is the largest single donation the foundation receives each year. He says it pays for educational material in several languages and helps keep free PSA screening running across the country.

The run raised R1.2 million in 2025.

You can support the campaign through the Back a Buddy account, by asking your employer to let staff join, or at hollard.co.za/daredevilrun.

• Deputy Minister David Mahlobo says Tshwane ignored some water safety warnings before more than 800 people reportedly became sick with gastroenteritis.

• Johannesburg residents could wait three months for water supply improvements, but Mayor Dada Morero insists the city is not facing a crisis.

More than 800 people have reportedly fallen sick after drinking contaminated water in Tshwane, while residents in neighbouring Johannesburg are battling dry taps and water shortages.

Deputy Water and Sanitation Minister David Mahlobo says Tshwane officials received repeated warnings about unsafe water but failed to fix all the problems.

The warnings started in 2023 when government checks found problems at the city’s water treatment works.

Mahlobo says the city submitted a plan to fix the problems and dealt with some of them, but left others unresolved.

Officials raised fresh concerns earlier this year about the quality of water leaving the treatment plants.

Records show that between 24 September and 14 October, Tshwane failed to carry out basic chemical treatment on water taken from polluted sources.

The water reportedly entered the city’s supply system, with more than 800 people falling ill with gastroenteritis.

Gastroenteritis can cause diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach cramps.

The Department of Water and Sanitation has opened a case involving suspected professional negligence by some employees.

Mahlobo says the incident created a public health danger and raised concerns about people’s rights.

“Our Blue Drop and Green Drop results have indicated that many municipalities are struggling, including Tshwane,” he said.

He said the city had been warned about its treatment works in 2023 and again earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Johannesburg residents are facing a different water nightmare.

Homes in Crown Gardens, Greenside, Northriding, Robertsham and Mayfair have experienced water cuts and low pressure.

But Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero insists the city is not facing a water crisis.

Speaking at a community meeting in Crown Gardens on Monday, Morero blamed supply problems involving Rand Water.

“I don’t want to treat everything as if it’s a crisis. It will be a crisis at the point when we say it’s day zero – the entire Johannesburg does not have water.”

Morero apologised to residents and said the city was working to raise reservoir levels.

He also urged people to stop watering their gardens and washing cars with clean water to help save supplies.

But residents hoping for quick relief may have to wait.

Johannesburg Water chief executive Ntshavheni Mukwevho says improvements could take three months.

He told the Crown Gardens meeting that the city was working on pressure management systems and ways to respond faster when problems occur.

“We have an intervention we are busy with, which we expect to be completed within the next three months,” he said.

Mukwevho warned that these measures would only provide short term relief.

He said Johannesburg still needed major investment in its water infrastructure to solve the problems over the longer term.

For now, Tshwane is dealing with questions about contaminated water, while Johannesburg residents face more months of uncertain supply.

• A Kaspersky survey of 1,000 South Africans found that half use artificial intelligence for work and a third use it to improve their CVs.

• Job seekers risk exposing personal information and losing the human touch when using artificial intelligence to write CVs, security company Kaspersky warns.

Artificial intelligence is helping South Africans get ahead at work and hunt for jobs, but experts warn that one wrong move could expose their personal information.

A new survey by cybersecurity company Kaspersky found that half of South Africans who took part use artificial intelligence for work tasks.

One in three also uses the technology to improve their CVs.

The survey questioned 1,000 people in South Africa in 2026 as part of research covering the Middle East, Turkey and Africa.

Artificial intelligence can help job seekers write better applications, choose the right words and improve their chances of getting noticed by employers.

But Kaspersky warns that relying too much on the technology can make CVs sound the same and take away the personal touch employers want.

There is also a bigger danger. Job seekers could accidentally share private information with artificial intelligence chatbots.

Kaspersky advises people to remove their names, cellphone numbers, home addresses, email addresses, company names and scanned documents before uploading their CVs.

The company warns that information shared with these tools could be exposed to other users.

Job seekers should check privacy settings and switch off options that allow their information to be used to train artificial intelligence systems.

They should also read the service’s privacy policy before sharing anything.

Many large and medium sized companies already use computer systems to collect and sort job applications.

These systems can use artificial intelligence to scan CVs and select candidates who appear to match the job requirements.

But getting past the computer is only the first step.

A human recruiter will still read the CV, and a document filled with robotic language could leave a poor impression.

Kaspersky advises job seekers to write their own CVs first and then use artificial intelligence to improve the wording and layout.

The technology can also help highlight experience that matches a particular job.

However, applicants should make sure their CVs reflect their real skills and experience.

Kaspersky also warns people to watch out for job scams.

Criminals can send fake job advertisements, interview invitations and test assignments containing dangerous links.

Job seekers should check links carefully before clicking and investigate employers before sharing personal details.

They should also use strong, different passwords for each service and consider using a password manager.

Another warning concerns social media.

Kaspersky advises people not to post their full CVs publicly. Instead, they should share a short professional profile and send their complete CV only when requested.

The message is simple: artificial intelligence can help people find work, but it should never replace their own judgement.